Safe Arborist Techniques Fund Grant Program

Safe Arborist Techniques Fund Grant Program

Status: ACTIVE
Funder: Tree Fund
Amount: US $5,000 - US $15,000
Last Updated: November 18, 2024

Summary

The Safe Arborist Techniques Fund Grant Program, established by the Tree Research and Education Endowment Fund and the International Society of Arboriculture, aims to enhance worker safety in arboriculture through research and development. Grants focus on biomechanics and tree failure mechanisms, supporting innovative practices that protect both workers and the community. Proposals are evaluated on their potential impact, scientific rigor, and the experience of the investigative team, ensuring they align with the mission of the TREE Fund.

Overview

Background The Safe Arborist Techniques Fund (SATF) is a joint program of Tree Research and Education Endowment Fund (TREE Fund) and International Society of Arboriculture (ISA), established in 2015 to support research and development into the techniques and equipment that arborists use in climbing, rigging, and working on trees, and the means of identifying potential hazards, to provide a safer working environment. Grant-funded projects are expected to be completed within two years of initial fund disbursement. Sample Topics 2023 SATF grants must support useful inquiry into the areas of worker safety and/or biomechanics, to include investigation into tree failure mechanisms and causes, and offsetting practices and techniques to protect workers, residents and property. Sample topics (not all-inclusive) could include: Decay assessment/spread; Inoculating trees with root decay; Response growth; Mechanical pruning; Lightning protection; Support systems, cabling, etc.; Machine-aided climbing; Biomechanics; Etc. Criteria: Staff will screen all applications for applicant eligibility, adherence to submission directions (including word counts), alignment with the TREE Fund mission, and compliance with minimum requirements. Proposals meeting these criteria are then forwarded to the TREE Fund’s Research and Education Committee for a more thorough and competitive evaluation. Prospective applicants can be sure that reviewers will place highest emphasis on: Prior record of accomplishment by the investigative team. (Scientists early in their research careers may wish to include others with more research experience as active co-investigators or advisors)Potential contribution of the project to the arboricultural industry.Approach, including statement of hypotheses and experimental designDissemination plan to the scientific community and to tree care professionals

Eligibility

You can learn more about this opportunity by visiting the funder's website. TREE Fund welcomes research proposals and applications from a wide range of academic and technical disciplines, of both a qualitative and a quantitative nature.TREE Fund does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, creed, gender, sexual orientation, disability or national or ethnic origin.

Ineligibility

TREE Fund does not fund the following types of projects, and will not accept applications for such work: Grants to individuals;Projects that are primarily municipal tree surveys or assessments;Tree planting programs;Studies of individual tree species for the primary purpose of agricultural or timber/forest planting yield;Commercial tree- or soil-related product testing primarily for the benefit of the company that manufactures the product.Current trustees of TREE Fund or any member of the family of any such trustee are ineligible to receive grants from TREE Fund.